


Christmas Past, Present & Future

by justanoutlaw



Series: OQ Prompt Party 2020 [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25512634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: You’ll Be In My Heart verse. Regina tries to get comfortable at the Locksley estate over the holidays.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills & Henry Mills, Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Series: OQ Prompt Party 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1848304
Comments: 10
Kudos: 6





	Christmas Past, Present & Future

**Author's Note:**

> For Day 1 of OQ prompt party. This was a personal prompt sent to me for one of my verses, along with one from PP: “You’ll Be In My Heart - Regina's first Christmas after being reunited with Henry again. + #183 “Thank you for raising my baby.”“

Their tree is decorated with gold and silver balls. Strands of silver garland are hung over the edges of the branches. A beautiful angel sits atop the tree, smiling down at Regina with her gorgeous blue eyes and blonde curls.

It's a beautiful tree, but it's just not Regina.

At home, there's always handmade ornaments and popcorn & cranberry garland that she makes herself every year. Sounds of Michael Bublè sing in the background as she writes out Christmas cards and smiles to herself. The star she used was passed down from generation to generation on her dad's side, made in Puerto Rico years ago.

But she's not in Maine anymore, she's in California. She's in Napa Valley to be more specific. And these are the Christmas traditions that make Henry happy.

There's just one thing missing, one piece of their old lives that she is going to mix with the new.

It's been buried with the rest of her memories of Henry, carefully wrapped in Santa Claus tissue paper. Held up by red ribbon, it's a picture frame ornament. Two gingerbread men look over the happy cookie shaped ornament, decorated with plastic white and green icing. "Baby's 1st Christmas" is scrawled at the top of the ornament, various Christmas theme accents around it.

The center contains the memory. Squishy baby Henry, his gummy smile shining as bright as his hazel eyes. He's wearing a pair of elf pajamas. Regina holds him as she's presses a kiss to his cheek.

Daniel had given her the ornament on Christmas morning. It was their first Christmas as parents. After 5 long years of waiting, it finally happened. Henry was only 4 months old but he was spoiled by their friends and family nonetheless. Regina still holds onto that memory as one of her fondest.

She reaches over and hangs it onto a free branch. It doesn't match, at all. But it's a sign that she's here. She belongs in this home.

She is Henry's mother.

"Wine, milady?"

Regina turns at Robin's voice and finds him standing there with two glass mugs. They're filled with red wine, garnished with cinnamon sticks and orange slices. Regina accepts one and takes a sip, letting the holiday drink slide down her throat. It's not as bad as she expected.

"Good?" Robin asks.

Regina nods. "Your recipe?"

"No, just a Locksley tradition."

"About that…" Regina trails off. "I was thinking."

"That's never good," Robin teases. Regina gives him a glare and he grows serious. "What's going on?"

"I know this is your house…"

"It's our house," Robin corrects.

And she wants to believe that. She wants to believe that being married to him makes it her place. But then she remembers their arrangement. It's one of pure convenience. The only love shared is what they do for Henry. Even after a few months, she still feels like a stranger.

"Anyway," Regina says. "I know you guys have traditions and stuff, but I was hoping that we could incorporate some of mine too."

Robin's face softens. "Regina, of course. We're a family now. I would love to see your traditions."

Regina's heart warms and she feels her lips tug upwards.

"Thank you," she says. She gestures to the tree. "I already started. I hope that's okay."

Robin takes in the ornament and a smile falls across his own face.

"I don't have enough baby pictures of him," he says. "This is nice."

Regina grins. "He sure is adorable."

Robin nods, turning to her. "What else?"

"Well every Christmas Eve, we'd read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas."

"We do that too."

"And we open one present each. Santa delivers it early."

Robin's smile grows. "We can do that too."

"Are there any traditions of yours I should know?"

"We always watch the Disney parade and stockings before big gifts."

"Well duh, we're not animals."

Robin chuckles, putting a hand on her back and taking a sip of his wine.

"Ya know, I think that ornament makes the tree stand out."

Regina relaxes into his grip. "Yeah," she says. "It does."

Christmas Eve, they make cookies with Mary Margaret and David, the latter two wearing the ugliest Christmas sweaters that Regina has seen and she loves it. They drink hot cocoa with cinnamon, another Mary Margaret choice. Robin decorates his cookies in green, while Regina chooses purple and Henry opts for blue. None of them discuss the following evening when they're expected to have dinner with Leopold. For now it's time to make cookies, listen to bad covers of Jingle Bells and make a big mess.

After watching the Grinch (Robin and Henry's tradition) and Mary Margaret and David go back to Locksley manor, they settle on the floor for gifts that "Santa" dropped by early.

Henry opens a new comic book and instantly rushes off to read it. Regina reminds him they're reading 'Twas The Night soon and she gets a "Yeah, yeah, yeah" in response. She giggles and turns to Robin, who presses a gift into her hand. She carefully unwraps it, opening an orange box and a tiny gasp escapes her lips.

Inside is a silver chain holding a feather charm. She runs her finger over the charm, her lips tugging up.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

"It's beautiful. How did you pick it out?"

"I just saw it and it screamed you."

Heat rises to her cheeks and she carefully puts it around her neck. She pushes forward her own gift.

"Well this makes mine look lame."

"I'm sure it's not."

He tears off the gold wrapping with much more vigor than she and tiny shreds fall to the floor. She can't help but giggle at that. Finally, it's open and her scrapbook is revealed. A photo of newborn Henry is pasted on the front, next to a copy of an ultrasound Emma had once given her. Across the top it reads "Baby's Journey". Robin's eyes glisten and he looks up at her.

"I have copies of everything," she waves off. "But this has pretty much everything of him when he was with me. Some stories too, like when he first smiled or started to walk. It's like a baby book, except I get to keep the original." She laughs a bit at that.

Robin's mouth opens then shuts, before he finally talks. "Regina, this is…I…thank you," he whispers.

Regina reaches over and takes his hand. "Thank you for raising my baby."

Robin reaches over and kisses her cheek. Regina's cheeks warm again and she moves closer to him.

"Let's look through it, shall we?" she suggests. "We have sometime before bed."

With Michael Bublè in the background, Henry devouring his new Spider Man comic and the scent of cinnamon in the air, Regina and Robin spend Christmas Eve looking through the past and thinking about the future.


End file.
